Thoughts on this Cheapie

Notch000

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vittesse-Sprint-21-speed-Alloy-Racing/dp/B003DZ15CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301946421&sr=1-1

Thats E140ish if super saver delivery goes thru. Im currently riding a non discript 150 E mountain bike that i have never spent 1cent on*** & given monumental amounts of abuse over the last 3yrs or so. Now in trying to stretch my cycling abilities but i feel im banging my head against the wall doing distance on knobby tyres. I was going to buy some slicks but this idea seem a bit of a wast of time on a bike that a bit of a shipwreck already with warped bearigns, crank, gears etc !!

I'd keep the MTB for my short city commmute & curb hopping and use the racer to get out the country a bit, mainly interested in fitness for 1-2 hrs runs.

BTW im unemployed so back to work deals or 1K carbon clad warriors are out for now.

Thoughts

Cheers

MungoMan

God, its cheap isn't it.
And the Amazon reviews are pretty good.
The people who reviewed wouldn't be cycling experts, and their requirements would be very basic, but sounds like the build quality is ok.
Its quite heavy at 19 kilos (a normal very basic entry level aluminium bike might weigh anything from 9 kilos to 11 kilos), but that would cost more like 400 sterling..... although if you go up in price, can get lighter.

Funny how it has rotational shifters, never saw that on a road bike before. It has a funny looking stem too, it doesnt look like a threadless stem like you see on nearly all roadbikes.

And it hasnt got a carbon fork either, it wont give a premium ride, but the price is good.

Ive got a mate who wants a cheap bike (someone who would probably use it 10 times a year on sunny weekends)....Im going to tell him about this bike, he might be interested.

I spent more money than this bike costs when I replaced my Shamino Shifters last weekend.

I'm interested to hear what other people think, perhaps someone will answer that this bike will not last long because the manufacturer had to take too many shortcuts in quality to get the costs down.

kona

Good for that price, considering the pure tripe that hovers at sub e200. But you get what you pay for, If I was buying it I wouldnt be expecting miracles and will probably go the way of your MTB.

Interesting place for the gearshifters, revoshift on a racer LOL

Victor_M

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but I didn't want to start a new one as I'm sure this question has been asked a million times before.

Also my first post in the cycling forum, so Hi.

I'm in the market for a casual weekend MTB I spotted THIS an Apollo Slant.

At that price I'm not expecting miracles but is there any reason I should avoid it like the plague, or are there any alternatives in a similar-ish price range (unfortunately I know you get what you pay for, but I'm on a strict budget)

Would the 2nd hand market be a better route to go?

Thanks in advance for the advice

AstraMonti

Victor_M wrote: »

Would the 2nd hand market be a better route to go?

Much much better! But you need to double your budget at least to get something decent.

smacl

Brought a cheap MTB (€150 second hand) up to ticknock before Christmas, after about an hour there was bits falling off it (and me) all over the place. Not suitable for anything too bumpy, but ok for gravel trails and roads if you don't mind being slower and having to work harder than everyone else. And the bike I had looked marginally better than the one in your link, so I think you may want to go a bit more up market, or borrow or rent for your occasional forays.

mgmt

My experiences with cheap bikes is that the bottom bracket goes on them very early.

studiorat

I'm all into the cheap bikes, but both of the bikes in this thread would be just a little too cheap IMO.
I'd go second hand personally. Normally Adverts is overpriced but there can be a bargain or two had.

Probably needs new wheels:
http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/racing-bike-fw-evans/531298

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/mbk-trainer-racing-bike-cromo-frame-shimano-mavic-wheelset-cinelli-bars/524744

langdang

Victor_M wrote: »

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but I didn't want to start a new one as I'm sure this question has been asked a million times before.

Also my first post in the cycling forum, so Hi.

I'm in the market for a casual weekend MTB I spotted THIS an Apollo Slant.

Halfords sell three "grades" of bikes that are exclusive to them. The Boardman bikes are well regarded, the Carrera (Halfords own-brand) are ok with the bottom of the range (Vulcan?) models being just about ok for actual mountainbiking.
The Apollo range would do for casual cycling, going to the shop etc. At that price it would be definitely better than the 99euro specials (Blast Rangers or whatever) that SuperValu do every now and then. But it won't last on anything bumpy or mucky..


EDIT - LOL at the revoshift as pointed out by Kona. I'd take the Apollo over the Amazon bike!

Victor_M

Thanks for the helpful replies so far guys.

I spotted this on gumtree http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/21/75655621.html
How would this compare to the one I posted earlier? Bearing in mind the warranty with the new one, and what would, in your opinion be a fair offer price for it?
Thanks again for all you help,

mgmt

Victor_M wrote: »

Thanks for the helpful replies so far guys.

I spotted this on gumtree http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/21/75655621.html
How would this compare to the one I posted earlier? Bearing in mind the warranty with the new one, and what would, in your opinion be a fair offer price for it?
Thanks again for all you help,

Get the receipt of the guy if its only 4 months old and it should be still under warrenty (also you'd be sure it was not stolen).

Notch000

the cheek of some people
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gentsbicycles/2041792

still havent rulled out this bike tho as a disposable item, is 19kg a metric ton in bike terms?

petethedrummer

Notch000 wrote: »

is 19kg a metric ton in bike terms?

It couldn't be that heavy. It's probably an error in measurement. like this...

Suitable for Inside Leg Measurement 83cm-96cm (33"-38")
Suitable for Ages 12+ Years

That's a pretty long inseam for a 12 year old.

gman2k

Victor_M wrote: »

... I spotted THIS an Apollo Slant.
Thanks in advance for the advice

Some of the lies/BS from the Halford blurb;
A quality mountain bike offering superb value for money. (not quality, poor value considering how long the rubbish on it is going to last)
18-speed Shimano gearing and v-brakes for efficient braking. (Cheap 18speed is still rubbish, cheap V brakes are rubbish also)
Front suspension fork offers improved control on un-even terrain. (No they won't - they are crap, and are there purely for visuals. You won't buy half decent forks for €150)
Ideal for general recreational riding, on and off road. (No it's not, it'll be a pig on the roads and unusable off road)

I've nothing against Halfords, but I do have something against cheap rubbish being passed off as quality.

snubbleste

It does not weigh 19kg, it weighs 15.5kg :cool:

levi

This is pretty cheap too... if you're just looking for pure cheapness...

But this is much better: http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/trek-700-hybrid/528221

MungoMan

snubbleste wrote: »

It does not weigh 19kg, it weighs 15.5kg :cool:

it says Boxed-product Weight: 19 Kg

i guess the cardboard box and the manual come to 3.5 kilos then

kona

MungoMan wrote: »

it says Boxed-product Weight: 19 Kg

i guess the cardboard box and the manual come to 3.5 kilos then

Youd be suprised at the amount of ****e that is leftover after you build a bike, Id say 2Kg is easy for all the packaging.

studiorat

kona wrote: »

Youd be suprised at the amount of ****e that is leftover after you build a bike, Id say 2Kg is easy for all the packaging.

Not to mention the few grams worth of spare nuts and bolts.

Meanwhile : http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/vittesse-sprint-bike-for-sale/537817#comments

langdang

studiorat wrote: »

Meanwhile : http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/vittesse-sprint-bike-for-sale/537817#comments

Thought the mech was pictured inside the spokes, it just has a mile of extra cable coming out of it.
Chancer. That bike is worth 120 max new I'd say.

snubbleste

langdang wrote: »

Thought the mech was pictured inside the spokes, it just has a mile of extra cable coming out of it.
Chancer. That bike is worth 120 max new I'd say.

It's the same bike has in the first post ?

langdang

snubbleste wrote: »

It's the same bike has in the first post ?

And it's still crap, only this guy was looking for 290 for it (Hence "Chancer"). At least it was cheap in the first post. And you'd get to assemble it yourself rather than living with a chancers attempt at assembly..

studiorat

I'm sure it's a useful bike for getting around on. In fairness something like that could be around the €350 mark, possibly more? from some shops.

At least someone would get a chance for a quick spin on it first.

The shifters are a strange affair though!! Pure genius going on there, they're probably a b@stard to get on around the handle bars too!

breezy1985

Victor_M wrote: »

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but I didn't want to start a new one as I'm sure this question has been asked a million times before.

Also my first post in the cycling forum, so Hi.

I'm in the market for a casual weekend MTB I spotted THIS an Apollo Slant.

At that price I'm not expecting miracles but is there any reason I should avoid it like the plague, or are there any alternatives in a similar-ish price range (unfortunately I know you get what you pay for, but I'm on a strict budget)

Would the 2nd hand market be a better route to go?

Thanks in advance for the advice

I have the slightly older model and its worked perfectly for my commute over the last 2 years.i also take it on 30/40k spins and its fine.

Only problem is it is startin to show a bit of damage now after 2 years of being smacked around back roads

It depends on what level of MTBing youre aiming at.If its proper hard downhill stuff this wont do

studiorat

breezy1985 wrote: »

I have the slightly older model and its worked perfectly for my commute over the last 2 years.i also take it on 30/40k spins and its fine.

Only problem is it is startin to show a bit of damage now after 2 years of being smacked around back roads

Go on then whatcha pay for it?

breezy1985

gman2k wrote: »

Some of the lies/BS from the Halford blurb;
A quality mountain bike offering superb value for money. (not quality, poor value considering how long the rubbish on it is going to last)
18-speed Shimano gearing and v-brakes for efficient braking. (Cheap 18speed is still rubbish, cheap V brakes are rubbish also)
Front suspension fork offers improved control on un-even terrain. (No they won't - they are crap, and are there purely for visuals. You won't buy half decent forks for €150)
Ideal for general recreational riding, on and off road. (No it's not, it'll be a pig on the roads and unusable off road)

I've nothing against Halfords, but I do have something against cheap rubbish being passed off as quality.

Is this based on experience You cycled the appollo slant much

BostonB

The Carerra brand looks good bit better quality than the apollo for not much more, Carerra is often on offer that brings the price down. I've no experience of either but some of the UK cycling forums there people using the Carerra bikes no problem for commuting etc.

kona

breezy1985 wrote: »

Is this based on experience You cycled the appollo slant much

Ive experience of them, Gman is spot on, they are not designed for commuting in any shape or form. Your one of the few people I know that has had zero trouble with them. The front brakes rock under load FFS.

I dont believe you are using it everyday for commuting and doing 40K spins on it. The bike must either be falling apart or has been serviced very regularly. If its the latter How much does that total?

gman2k

breezy1985 wrote: »

Is this based on experience You cycled the appollo slant much

No, never cycled an Apollo (I'll go check my collection now to double check I don't own one)
But then again, a modern bike is just a collection of different branded or unbranded parts.
An 'Apollo' such as the one above is just awful cheap rubbish stuck together at the lowest possible price, with a name then stuck on it so as it can be sold in a warehouse outlet such as Halfords. (Again, I've nothing against Halfords)
Many a LBS will sell such muck also - it caters to a certain market....

I know someone who has a similar priced bike that he bought probably 10 years ago, and it's in perfect condition - because he's probably only ever taken it out 2 or 3 times and cycled a couple of miles!
For people such as this, the 'Apollo' or similar will be perfect. For anyone else, who will be using it more regularly, you might as well set fire to your money and get to know your LBS very well to fix it regularly.

blorg

You should get a decent hybrid secondhand for €100-150 if you know what to look for. That Trek 700 looks like a decent deal at €95.

breezy1985

kona wrote: »

Ive experience of them, Gman is spot on, they are not designed for commuting in any shape or form. Your one of the few people I know that has had zero trouble with them. The front brakes rock under load FFS.

I dont believe you are using it everyday for commuting and doing 40K spins on it. The bike must either be falling apart or has been serviced very regularly. If its the latter How much does that total?

my commute is a short 8k round trip i do it 4 times a week and also to the same trip to town 2 or 3 times a week.i do the 30 or 40k once or twice a week.I got an odometer around november and have clocked up 658k and all ive ever had to change were the brakes and the cheap tyres.

One thing i would say about halfords though is make sure that everything is on properly before you start using it.My brakes were loose when i got it and a friend had trouble with his pedals but that was halfords fault not the bike

breezy1985

gman2k wrote: »

No, never cycled an Apollo (I'll go check my collection now to double check I don't own one)
But then again, a modern bike is just a collection of different branded or unbranded parts.
An 'Apollo' such as the one above is just awful cheap rubbish stuck together at the lowest possible price, with a name then stuck on it so as it can be sold in a warehouse outlet such as Halfords. (Again, I've nothing against Halfords)
Many a LBS will sell such muck also - it caters to a certain market....

I know someone who has a similar priced bike that he bought probably 10 years ago, and it's in perfect condition - because he's probably only ever taken it out 2 or 3 times and cycled a couple of miles!
For people such as this, the 'Apollo' or similar will be perfect. For anyone else, who will be using it more regularly, you might as well set fire to your money and get to know your LBS very well to fix it regularly.

well again your your guessing because you dont know but the 160e i spent on mine has been money well spent and i have est. over 1800k done on mine and has got me to work for the last 2 years.

out of curiosity what do u cycle

gman2k

breezy1985 wrote: »

out of curiosity what do u cycle

Take yer pick

breezy1985

gman2k wrote: »

Take yer pick

By the looks of it you either have plenty of money to spend on bikes or ur very good at working 2nd hand markets.Were not all that lucky and some people can only afford an appollo and i think mine does the job very well

gman2k

breezy1985 wrote: »

By the looks of it you either have plenty of money to spend on bikes or ur very good at working 2nd hand markets.Were not all that lucky and some people can only afford an appollo and i think mine does the job very well

I'm happy that you're happy with your bike.
That's what this forum is all about - people enjoying cycling!
Someone came on here looking for advice, me knowing a good bit about bikes gave my tuppence.
Oh, and you're right re the second hand markets!

Ricky91t

breezy1985 wrote: »

Is this based on experience You cycled the appollo slant much

I can only agree with what he's saying.

I got the phaze, it's 225 I think and its shocking, I had so many issues with it just cycling so and from college.

Then I took it off road and it's literally getting lighter everytime, parts of the break falling off rear mech has got messed up to. I wouldn't even recommend this for the road, one of the rotors has been bent( due to breaking) and it now rubs off the pads making uphill very tough... I'd go for a used bike to be honest!

kona

breezy1985 wrote: »

my commute is a short 8k round trip i do it 4 times a week and also to the same trip to town 2 or 3 times a week.i do the 30 or 40k once or twice a week.I got an odometer around november and have clocked up 658k and all ive ever had to change were the brakes and the cheap tyres.

I find this very hard to believe based on experience of these bikes, sorry

kona

Ricky91t wrote: »

I can only agree with what he's saying.

I got the phaze, it's 225 I think and its shocking, I had so many issues with it just cycling so and from college.

Then I took it off road and it's literally getting lighter everytime, parts of the break falling off rear mech has got messed up to. I wouldn't even recommend this for the road, one of the rotors has been bent( due to breaking) and it now rubs off the pads making uphill very tough... I'd go for a used bike to be honest!

These bikes are not designed or aimed at the commuting /off road market. IMO its not apollos fault their bikes fall to **** under use they are not designed for..

breezy1985

kona wrote: »

I find this very hard to believe based on experience of these bikes, sorry

judging by what everyone else is saying i just got very lucky with my apollo

and please dont be implying that im a liar

kona

breezy1985 wrote: »

judging by what everyone else is saying i just got very lucky with my apollo

and please dont be implying that im a liar

Well then your implying that im a liar

Im not implying anything, I just cant believe that a Apollo is capable of that type of use, and Ive seen these things fit for scrap after months.
Fair play if you have gotten that type of use out of one, but its not fair on other people who dont know anything about bikes, getting the impression that maybe they will get lucky too. More likely they will learn a expensive lesson.

conbob

How about this one?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_744959_langId_-1_categoryId_212589#BVRRWidgetID

blorg

conbob wrote: »

How about this one?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_744959_langId_-1_categoryId_212589#BVRRWidgetID

Probably better but short on details and unlikely to be up to much off road. Would be better without front sus which could cause problems. Raleigh are not what they used to be although they have recently gone back into the medium-end quality bike market (not with that one mind.)

Ricky91t

kona wrote: »

These bikes are not designed or aimed at the commuting /off road market. IMO its not apollos fault their bikes fall to **** under use they are not designed for..

A majority of these issues were got from road cycling. Also 10-15km a week isn't really commuting either.

But as you brought that up "This bike is ideal for general recreational riding on and off road.", Either you're in the wrong or halfords are lying? They shouldn't advertise bikes as off road if they're not capable of doing it.

gman2k

conbob wrote: »

How about this one?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_744959_langId_-1_categoryId_212589#BVRRWidgetID

How about it indeed! Again, forget about the sticker on the frame, it means absolutely nothing.
It's being advertised by Halfords as 'Lighweight alloy frame for a faster ride' yet the seatpost, crankset, stem, bars, headset and hubs are steel.....give us a brake Halfrauds! They should be prosecuted under the telling lies in web advertisements act (ok I know there is no such act)
€150 - you can hardly get a decent pair of forks for that money!
But seriously, they also say 'The Raleigh Venture Mens 18" Mountain Bike is a stylish bike great for taking on the 'ups and downs' of any off-road trail.'
Obviously the ad writer person has never taken this specimen on any off-road trail:)

petethedrummer

Here's a fine example of a cheap 'MTB'. I was up at the Ballinastoe carpark last summer when a young fella asked me to use his phone cos his bike broke down and couldn't get home.

Later, on my way round, I found said bike. A jeep cherokee, left to rot. Not even worth his while wheeling down the mountain to fix or worth my while stealing.





These bikes are not fit or safe for MTBing and not suitable for road cycling.

kona

Ricky91t wrote: »

A majority of these issues were got from road cycling. Also 10-15km a week isn't really commuting either.



What do halfords describe them as? Is it in the same section / description as the higher end bikes they sell that are aimed at commuters and off roaders?

Also, 5k or 50k a commute is a commute, difference is the 50K will take 10 times more out of the bike.

Just to clear it up, anything under e300 is designed for people like my neighbours, they would cycle a bike when the sun is out for a hour, then back in the shed for a few months. Infrequent use. ANYTHING other than this is defo over e300 territory. E300 is **** all if your write it off against the cost of running a car, or C2W.

EDIT: Please quote my statements, dont paraphrase me, because I NEVER said

Ricky91t wrote: »

But as you brought that up "This bike is ideal for general recreational riding on and off road.", Either you're in the wrong or halfords are lying? They shouldn't advertise bikes as off road if they're not capable of doing it.

kona

gman2k wrote: »

How about it indeed! Again, forget about the sticker on the frame, it means absolutely nothing.
It's being advertised by Halfords as 'Lighweight alloy frame for a faster ride' yet the seatpost, crankset, stem, bars, headset and hubs are steel.....give us a brake Halfrauds! They should be prosecuted under the telling lies in web advertisements act (ok I know there is no such act)
€150 - you can hardly get a decent pair of forks for that money!
But seriously, they also say 'The Raleigh Venture Mens 18" Mountain Bike is a stylish bike great for taking on the 'ups and downs' of any off-road trail.'
Obviously the ad writer person has never taken this specimen on any off-road trail:)

I think your last sentance nails it. That website isnt written by retail staff, its written by somebody whose job is to describe products the best they can.

breezy1985

petethedrummer wrote: »

Here's a fine example of a cheap 'MTB'. I was up at the Ballinastoe carpark last summer when a young fella asked me to use his phone cos his bike broke down and couldn't get home.

Later, on my way round, I found said bike. A jeep cherokee, left to rot. Not even worth his while wheeling down the mountain to fix or worth my while stealing.





These bikes are not fit or safe for MTBing and not suitable for road cycling.

is that kind of rear suspension any good or is it just for show

gman2k

breezy1985 wrote: »

is that kind of rear suspension any good or is it just for show

Here is a video of that actual bike in use in a DH race in Chile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udd4xeElV8I

OK, it's not the same bike. And to answer your question, it is no good.

Ricky91t

^ That's why you don't buy a cheap bike, I wouldn't of liked to be cycling that bike when the rear hub broke...

I'm delighted with my KTM Ultra Flite, yes it cost a lot more that my apollo phaze, but the weight alone ( almost 6kg less ) would of made me happy. When I know see a hill, I know I can cycle up it without struggling due to the bike weight, or the chain slipping off.

Ricky91t

kona wrote: »

Ricky91t wrote: »

A majority of these issues were got from road cycling. Also 10-15km a week isn't really commuting either.



What do halfords describe them as? Is it in the same section / description as the higher end bikes they sell that are aimed at commuters and off roaders?

Also, 5k or 50k a commute is a commute, difference is the 50K will take 10 times more out of the bike.

Just to clear it up, anything under e300 is designed for people like my neighbours, they would cycle a bike when the sun is out for a hour, then back in the shed for a few months. Infrequent use. ANYTHING other than this is defo over e300 territory. E300 is **** all if your write it off against the cost of running a car, or C2W.

EDIT: Please quote my statements, dont paraphrase me, because I NEVER said

Wow, you really need to calm down a bit, Firstly I wasn't paraphrasing you, so there's no need to get so wound up.

If you'd kindly re-read you'll notice I was quoting the halfords specification for my bike and not you.